Erin Go Bragh!

Saturday, July 7th 2007: Day 5 at Newtown Boarding School, Waterford

The rainy day began with classes and sure enough the skies opened in time for the first of the day’s workshops. Over half of the students participated in the traditional scone baking workshop! The tradition of scone baking goes back centuries and has changed little despite the movement across from England and Scotland where they are rumored to have originated. Still Ireland credits the term “scone” with the Gaelic pronunciation “skonn” meaning mouthful or shapeless mass. With the loan of their kitchen, the oh-so-accommodating Newtown Boarding School staff got out of dodge and let us at it! Rivaling Rachel Ray and her knack for transforming simple ingredients into a masterpiece, the students set out to prepare the batch and dove in headfirst. Molly Ferns and Jessica McClaughlin buzzed, “We’re in the scone zone!” Dozens and dozens of scones were produced, all shapes and sized, colors and flavors. “I had a lot of fun, even though more flour got on me than went into the mixing bowl!” said Kara Erb. Perhaps next time the metric conversions will be a good idea!

Later that afternoon when the rain had calmed Cyrus led the way into Waterford, Pied Piper style, dishing the inside scoop on the what, when and where of the city center. They hit all the stops including Reginald’s Tower –the apex of the old Viking Triangle; the Grey Friars neighborhood; Christ Church Cathedral –the site of Strongbow and his bride Aoife’s wedding; the Old French Church; the Black Friars neighborhood; the High Street and John Robert’s square. “I was actually quite amazed at how much he knew about random things! I mean, he knew the history of everything, nearly down to how many bricks were in the building!” exclaimed Chelsea Engelman. And Juliana Lufkin noted how nice it was “to learn about Waterford from someone who had been there before. My favorite part was definitely his description of the Vikings invading the city, it was classic Cyrus!”

Sunday, July 8th 2007: Day 6 at Newtown Boarding School, Waterford and Daytrip!

A well deserved morning of rest was enjoyed by students and staff alike. Many went to mass before breakfast which was later than what is normally scheduled. Kerry Murdoch was especially pleased with the lie in, “It’s been go, go, go! And with all the excitement it was really nice to have the chance to get an extra hour or two before our next busy day!”
The buses were then filled with our “to go” lunches and all of us of course. It was on to the Waterford Crystal Factory nearby. Waterford Crystal has turned into one of the world’s most famous luxury brands. It has begun to change slightly with the shifting tastes of the contemporary world but they still practice the same process of creating crystal masterpieces and maintaining the highest quality standards. We were very lucky with our knowledgeable tour guides! All questions were answered (mostly even before they were asked!) The factory tour allowed us to watch the highly skilled glass blowers, etchers, engravers and cutters in action. Fiona “Our tourguide" Olive was SO cute! We got to watch the glass blowers in action –they were grooving, even with all our flash photography! On display were the infamous Superbowl trophy and the Milennium ball set up in Times Square each New Years Eve. We had loads of time in the gift shop and satisfied the requests from everyone back home!

Skipping along with the glorious sunshine next was on to Tramore, a coastal fishing village for fun in the sun! Swimming gear and all, there was no chance of keeping the kids out of the water. A few brave souls swam way out whilst many splashed around the tide pools or enjoyed a casual round of beach golf. Ian Crowell describes part of his afternoon saying, “we went for a walk down along the beach, the weather was glorious and the view was perfect”. Right along the beach was an amusement park, where spinning, flinging and whipping ensued. A fantastic selection of rides made for a great time; “I went on my first Ferris wheel! The view from the top was sick nasty! (terrific)” says Sean Smith. We went down to the beach then which was beautiful”.

After dinner the annual IW Olympics took place! This is always a fun evening and the level of competition was as fierce as ever as students challenged each other’s teams to balloon tosses, dizzy bat races and relays, among other things. We all agreed that no one is ever too old for field games! Some of the staff, Cyrus and Vinnie, even joined in to spice up the water balloon toss but were knocked out in the last round by Thomas Carr and Kara Erb who surpassed them in both technical merit and artistic ability. They stayed dry and were awarded bragging rights! And so the games concluded and the sun set on the end of the first week at Newtown Boarding School in Waterford. It was a great day.

Monday , July 9th 2007: Day 7 at Newtown Boarding School, Waterford and Daytrip!

After a normal morning of classes it was off to New Ross village in Waterford. The rain was plentiful but we were off to visit the Dunbrody Heritage Ship a full-scale reconstruction of an 1845 sailing ship commissioned by the sister of the late President John F Kennedy. It was used in its day by the Irish who fled to the US to escape the famine. Our tour began with an informative documentary followed by a tour of the ship itself where we met actual passengers, two women, one who had traveled in steerage, the other first class. Olivia Donohue says, “I honestly thought the acting was really remarkable, it kept me glued –the lady from first class was great. I must say though, the bus ride home was the best; we were jamming the whole time! I loved today”. The rain was barely noticed…

And so, it was off to Hook Head! The Hook Head beach and region is capped by Europe’s, and possibly the world’s oldest working lighthouse. And though it was blustery from the top of the lighthouse, we were given a perfect tour, culminating with a view of the dark skies and grey clouds encroaching. Thomas Carr described the trek up the lighthouse, “the stairs were quite the workout, but it was well worth it when we got to the top! Great view –Cyrus’ pinwheel was spinning!” Glistening from the sea spray the group headed back to the buses, it was a slippery trip back down the spiral stairs!

Evening was reserved for Irish Dance where the students learned the Walls of Limerick a traditional set dance. Drama groups then were split again and students tested their hunting and gathering skills with a cryptic scavenger hunt! The answers to clues were generally found on campus but there were a few that required a keener sense of direction… It was a fight to the end but one team was victorious when they answered first the colors of the hidden playground.
To boot, Sean Roberts commented that today the kitchen got it right and it was both “the best lunch and best dinner served so far! Today really was excellent.” Sometimes it really is the little things!

Tuesday, July 10th Daytrip to Cork!

An early (and dry) start it was as we broke from breakfast and turned out of the gates of the Newtown Boarding School. We would be gone from Waterford for the day set off to Cork planning stops and tours in Cobh, Blarney and Cork city.

In Cobh we began to the visitor center which at one time was a railway station. It was most used in the wake of the famine for Irish emigrants heading to America. Also, for many years, the port of Cork was heavily involved with Atlantic crossings. Wallace Gowan, “I had no idea so many notorious ships passes through Queenstown, like the SS America, who knew?” Perhaps Cobh is best known as having been the last port of call on Titanic’s maiden voyage. Allison Dahlin said, “I loved the Titanic exhibit; it was really interesting with all the models, though I found the list of passengers and survivors very eerie”.

The village of Blarney and home of the Blarney Stone and Castle was a quick drive from Cobh. The custom of kissing the Blarney Stone is a relatively modern one, although it is said to grant anyone who does so the gift of gab or eloquence. Katie Lynch tells us, “It’s a family tradition! We have a framed picture of my Grandfather that mine’s going right next to!” But it is a bit of a hike up to the top of the castle; and even kissing the stone requires a full upside-down layout position, stabilized by an aged local who has been helping those seeking eloquence for decades. “I’ve completed a mission! It was actually inspiring at the top of the castle, I felt like Rocky!” announced Ryan Raines, and Dan Kearney admits “I thought the Blarney stone, even though it’s a tourist trap, was well worth it. What can I say? It trapped me!”

In Cork city the students were allowed free time to wander this city that was recently voted Europe’s Capital of Culture. Fashion gurus and gluttons for shopping, Julia Burns and Keegan Wallace, found their way into Brown Thomas, the high end designer department store, and emerged with matching pink tulip style tutus, “I love Europe!” shrieked Julia. And they were on their own for supper, some picnicked outside others enjoyed the warm evening in outdoor cafes, others grabbed some food to go and went on with the exploring. John O’Brien remarked on this, his first time in Cork city: “My people came from Cork, no one in my family has come over before me. It was pretty special”.

It was a long drive home, quickened by en route entertainment provided by both staff and students. Not to be overlooked was the beautiful scenery on the way to and from Cork. Arriving back at Newtown Boarding School after the long day meant quiet nighttime activities, movies and games.